There are some things about this ship that are just outstanding. That SeaPlex area is one of the coolest things Ive seen on any ship; some of the food, like Jamies Italian was just stellar; and the tech used in the Starwater show in Two70 is just phenomenal.

Aside from the areas you would typically find on most ships (Pool deck, restaurants, theater, shopping, etc...) there are three "themed" areas - The Esplanade (this ships answer to the Promenade on other RCCL ships), SeaPlex, and Two70.

I feel like each of them have their own features that really set them apart. I am really happy to see the Esplanade on this ship as I really like the promenade areas on the other bigger RCCL ships, but this one is very different. It is much smaller but that does not make it any less interesting. There is a pub at one end of it, shopping in the middle, and lots of places to get snacks and other food items all around it. There is Sorrentos and Cafe Promenade here, which are both nice, and familiar if you have been on any of the other RCCL ships.

Two70 is a really interesting venue. It is like part theater, part bar, part quick service eating area, part lounge. Some of the tech that is in this area is some of the most insane I have seen on any ship! Projection mapping on the window area, kuka arms with giant plasma screens, and sectional stage areas that raise and lower. Just nuts. I watched a bit of the Starwater show tonight and while the content of the show itself was typical "cruise ship fare" (I am sure you know what I mean), the tech was just CRAZY. I mean, they could have been singing "The wheels on the bus" with some of that tech and it would still blow you away!

SeaPlex is probably my favorite new area on the ship. Take your typical sports and recreation area (basketball, ping pong tables, etc) bring it all indoors in a super cool, high tech recreation area with some never-before-seen on a cruise ship activities. Bumper Cars, Trapeze Circus School, Roller Skating, etc, along with your traditional basketball, volleyball, etc. There are ping pong tables, foozball, and an Xbox lounge along with the Hot Dog House all in this two story area. So far I think it is my favorite part of the ship.

Overall, this is a REALLY REALLY nice ship. It is ridiculously nice! Everything about it just seems to have a really high-end "classy" feel to it. Even the "fun" areas are all sleek and well designed with a more upper scale touch.

In many ways this a total departure from what we have seen from Royal Caribbean recent offerings on ships like Allure or Freedom. The ship feels a lot more like a spiritual successor to the Radiance class ships and even almost like a Royal Caribbean/Celebrity cross over concept.

More awesome shots of Esplanade.

This ship seems empty on the first night! I guess everyone is still jetlagged.

More high-end sections of the ship. For some reason, this area reminds me a lot of Mall of Millennia in Orlando! Not sure why...

I think this shop was brand new and opening the next day!

Here's the deck layout. You can get an idea of what is on each deck.

The Solarium was really nice! Kind of an expanded version of the one on Allure of the Seas.

Night time in the indoor pool area.

And on to day two! (and some of day three)

One thing to note about this ship - While it's awesome and all that Quantum is here, and will be sailing out of NYC until May, it's probably important to note that in May this ship leaves for China, and from what we understand, probably will not be coming back to the US market again. It's kind of a bummer, yes, but Asia is becoming a HUGE cruise ship market and apparently they really want a newer RCCL ship pretty badly.

Having said that though, Quantum's sister ship, Anthem of the Seas will be porting out of NYC starting next fall. So you won't have too much longer to wait if you miss this short 6-month run of Quantum sailings.

What I find interesting though are some of the drastic changes that are going to be made to this ship for the Asian market. When it leaves NYC, it goes on a 56-day repositioning/re-construction sailing before it gets to China. At that point some of the following transformations will take place:

- Mamma Mia will leave the ship and move to Allure of the Seas
- Quite a few of the restaurants will be totally changed into something for the Chinese market
- The "Music Hall" two-story venue will be totally removed, expanding the casino on the bottom floor and making way for more shopping on the top floor.
- Johnny Rockets is being converted into a Chinese/American take-out
- And quite a few other changes that will allow the ship to focus more on shopping and less on bars and dining.

I'm pretty sure this is some of the most drastic retrofits being made to a ship in such a short amount of time after it has set sail.

Anyway, onto more pics!

We are going to start a theme of "Kristen in random, strange chairs on Quantum!"

Does sitting in a bumper car count as a chair?

The weather outside is frightful, so North Star is not delightful. :( Closed today, but that's okay, we have plenty more days on the ship!

Those skies do not look too friendly!

Waves today were AWESOME!

Thankfully, Quantum is designed to be a ship for colder weather and there is plenty to do indoors.

Hung out in the arcade a bit today...

Spent more time on the Esplanade.

Circus Trapeze School started today! Elissa and Kristen will do this soon so they can show off their skillz!

Tonight's dinner was a Grande, the "formal dress" restaurant.

More menu items.

And they gave us some sort of sparkling juice in a glass! Yay!

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